The Queen of Fourteenth Street

By: Barrie Kreinik

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik, Orlagh Cassidy, Imani Jade Powers, Elisabeth Rodgers, James Fouhey

New York City, 1932: Eva Le Gallienne is trying to save her theatre company from the jaws of the Depression by mounting an innovative new production of Alice in Wonderland. She agrees to give a radio interview for the sake of publicity, but while revisiting the moments that shaped her career, she struggles with the need to keep a significant secret: she and her leading lady are in love. As Eva’s work careens toward catastrophe, she fights to preserve her dream of a people’s theatre—but will she destroy the people she loves in the process? The true story of one of the 20th century’s most remarkable artists, The Queen of Fourteenth Street reverberates powerfully today, as the American theatre faces an uncertain future and LGBTQ rights are once again under attack.

Critic reviews

"A talented cast of voice actors, including playwright Barrie Kreinik, dazzle in this audio original. The production's impeccable sound design brings 1930s New York to life. A lively, moving listen about a fascinating woman who lived a fiercely queer life in the early twentieth century--this is audio theater at its absolute best."—Audiofile Earphone Award Winner

Engaging and thoughtful

Brilliantly acted and cleverly constructed—a story that none of us likely knew—but wish we had! So glad Kreinik brought us out of the dark and into the world of Miss LeG!

A new play that shimmers with life

Beautifully written, and performed by an entertaining, and versatile company of actors, this play captures the fullness of a great actor’s life. Little known now, but influential in her time, Eva Le Gallienne is brought to gorgeous, vivid life by Barrie Kreinik who not only wrote this play, but plays Le Gallienne. A landmark achievement in this medium, I can only hope that more stories like these are on the way. Bravi tutti!

Deeply moving, funny, and wildly entertaining

I savored every moment of this beautifully executed play. Every word was beautiful chosen by Barrie Kreinik and every word was beautifully executed by this incredible ensemble. Don’t pass on this one. It’s not just simply a treat, but it’s nourishing storytelling that you will continue to think about long after you’ve listened to it. Enjoy!

An immersive and compelling audiobook drama

The Queen Of Fourteenth Street is an immersive and compelling audiobook drama. The audiobook is a fantastic production filled with small musical interludes and background effects that transport listeners back to the 1920s era of radio shows and grand theatre productions. At just under two hours, the audiobook is a perfect option for pure entertainment in a single sitting or during your daily commute!

The audiobook details the true life story of Eva Le Gallienne, a British-American theatre pioneer who, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, dedicated her life to making theatre accessible to all by running a repertory theatre. Her stubbornness and perseverance are wonderfully illustrated in the story, as she struggles to keep her theatre company afloat during the Great Depression, often at the expense of her personal relationships. Her story is quite remarkable, having been born in the UK to a challenging childhood and later moving to NYC to hustle her way into stardom on the Broadway scene. Her trailblazing role as owner of a successful repertory theatre company made her a prominent figure in the NYC theatre society.

The story also features some queer history, highlighting the sapphic women of the theatre world who rarely get attention in literature, making this story even more important and compelling. Eva’s relationship with the love of her life, Josephine, is depicted as both heartwarming and heartbreaking. The extreme challenges of having a queer relationship in that era, along with their conflicting personalities, make for a very captivating story.

Narrators Barrie Kreinik, Orlagh Cassidy, Imani Jade Powers, Elisabeth Rodgers, and James Fouhey all do a phenomenal job bringing the characters and the era authentically to life. The pacing of the narration is quick, and the scenes jump around as you’re in fact listening to the audio of a play, making for a very unique and engrossing audio experience. If you listen to any real-life interviews of Eva Le Gallienne from her later years, it becomes very apparent that Barrie Kreinik did her research in portraying Eva’s voice and persona—the performance is spot on!

Overall, this audiobook is a real joy to listen to. From the captivating real-life storyline to the wonderful multicast immersive audiobook experience to the glimpse of groundbreaking 1920s theatre productions, this audiobook punches a lot into a very short time. With such an impressive debut from an already accomplished audiobook narrator, it’ll be very exciting to see what Barrie Krenik comes up with next!